There are a variety of situations in which it is desired to dispense product automatically and in controlled quantities, for example into a container. In one type of such situation which will be described in detail hereinafter, it is desired to dispense a plurality of component food product into containers for ultimate sale to a consumer.
It is known to fill each of a train of rapidly-moving containers, such as cans or jars, with an accurately metered quantity of product from a single product source, by means of a volumetric filler. Such volumetric fillers are also known which take two or more separate food components from a corresponding number of sources of food product in sequence, and then dispense the several components sequentially into each container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,715 of L. M. Gageant and W. L. Greet, issued May 8, 1973 describes and claims such a volumetric filler, in which a movable chamber and piston arrangement first picks up a first component product from a supply source for that product as the piston is retracted, and then moves to another position at which the piston is retracted still farther to pick up a second component product, beneath the first product in the chamber; the piston-and-chamber arrangement is then moved to still another position, where a container is presented beneath the chamber and the piston is extended to discharge the two products sequentially into the container.
Difficulties arise in such system when it is deemed important to provide in each container a substantially homogeneous mixture of component products, the mixture being substantially the same for each container. One approach to this problem which has been tried is to place the product components, in accurate relative proportions, into a mixer from which the dispenser draws its product. While this tends to assure that substantially proper proportions are dispensed on the average, the mixing process does produce a random distribution of components throughout the mixture such that there is some appreciable variation in relative proportions of components in any given sample, the variations from the average being approximately according to a bell-shaped Gaussian distribution curve; thus different containers, and different comsumers, may receive slightly but significantly different proportions of ingredients. Also, where the product comprises a low-viscosity carrier and relatively large particles of other components, some settling of the large particles may also occur in the supply passage extending from the mixer chamber to the intake of the volumetric filler. These and similar factors have had sufficient effect that if, for example, one of the component products comprises a large-particle garnish such as small balls of meat or mushroom slices, there may be a difference amounting to at least several pieces of garnish between the contents of different containers, which is undesirable for obvious reasons.
If, on the other hand, one uses a filling system such as that of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,715 which dispenses the various components into each container sequentially, then while substantially the proper relative proportions may be dispensed, undesirable layering may occur, and when a relatively viscous component is present in the composite product such layering may be quite pronounced. By "layering" is meant that one or more component products remain in a layer distinct from the rest of the product in the container, and a homogeneous mixture of product in the container is not achieved. This not only produces a "separated" appearance, which is often deemed undesirable by the consumer, but in general will result in significant non-homogenity of the product when it is poured or otherwise removed from the container for use. While violent and/or prolonged shaking of the container just before use of the product can tend to homogenize the distribution of the several fractions or components of the product, to require such shaking is very undesirable from the viewpoint of consumer acceptance, and does not overcome the undesirable separated or layered appearance of the product during storage, which is especially objectionable when the container is transparent.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and useful product dispensing apparatus.
Another object is to provide such apparatus which takes a plurality of different component products from different sources and dispenses them as a substantially homogeneous mixture.
It is also an object to provide such apparatus in which the dispensed product is not only substantially homogeneous but also contains said component products in accurately predetermined proportions.
A further object is to provide such apparatus which is adapted to accurate, high-speed dispensing into rapidly moving containers.